


The philosophy of infidelity

by LostinFic



Series: Any David Tennant character x Any Billie Piper character [3]
Category: Secret Diary of a Call Girl (TV), True Love (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Teninch Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-30
Updated: 2014-03-30
Packaged: 2018-01-17 15:01:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1392022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostinFic/pseuds/LostinFic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Belle/Nick, conversation about cheating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The philosophy of infidelity

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wildwinterwitch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildwinterwitch/gifts).



“Have you ever done this before?” Belle asks.  
The man before her is wringing his hands and tripping on every other word, there’s a thin drop of sweat slowly disappearing under the collar of his white shirt.  
“Yes, of course I have, I have lots of experience in this field, I’ve done this often, very often,” he replies, pulling on his cuffs.  
Belle crosses her arms over her grey silk dress, her skeptical eyes roaming over his body. He puffs his cheeks with a sigh.  
“It’s my first freelance contract,” he admits, “I used to work for a big firm, I could do it all with my eyes closed. But now... But don’t worry, I’ll do better than my best to make your book a success.”  
When Nick landed that PR contract with a London publisher, it had felt like a second chance. Something new and exciting, a challenge. Of course, back then he didn’t know he’d be working with a prostitute. Admittedly, she is far from what he had expected. 

After his admission, Belle’s features soften, she tilts her head and smiles. Suddenly, this Scottish man from a small town, with his ill-fitting suit and carefully parted hair becomes much more interesting.  
“What made you start a freelance career?”  
Nick is nonplussed by her personal question. He’s never really explained his decision to anyone. Why would a father of two leave a steady, well-paid job? He knows people think he’s having some sort of mid-life crisis and that he’s being selfish when in fact he is doing this for the good of his family.

Belle waits patiently for his answer, eating the last pieces of lasagna while he downs the rest of his wine. Clearly she hit a nerve.  
“Do you get a lot of married men as clients?” he asks.  
“I do.”  
She pushes her plate away and leans forward on her elbows. This business meeting sure is taking a very interesting turn.  
“Why do men cheat?”  
“Why did you?” she replies cheekily, chin in her palm, hazel eyes shining.  
He scoffs and looks around the restaurant, which is almost empty by now, then moves his chair closer to her.  
“I thought I was in love.”  
“How sweet,” she chuckles into her wine glass.  
“Turns out, I was in love with her still being in love with me.”  
She smiles knowingly, her hand moving to the back of his chair, her delicate perfume teasing his nostrils when she tosses her hair back. It occurs to him that the way she’s looking at him certainly does similar things to his ego. He bites his lower lip, trying to hide his grin, and looks away from her inquisitive eyes. The waiter comes over to take their empty plates away and she orders more wine.  
“What did it feel like?” she whispers, a challenge on her lips.  
As he thinks back on that week that turned his life around, there’s a hint of that peculiar feeling swirling in the pit of his stomach. He can’t quite put it into words. It’s a combination of excitement and fear that makes him slightly dizzy. Not unlike the way he felt at the beginning of this meeting. But then of course there was the pain and the guilt and the emptiness that followed.

She scans his face while he’s lost in thoughts, noticing how his freckles are somewhat endearing. As soon as a frown starts forming on his forehead and his eyes cloud over, she speaks to steer him away from his bleak thoughts.  
“And what does this have to do with changing your career?” her voice is soft, her thumb gently stroking his back.  
He clears his throat, taking a moment to come back to reality, licking his lips as he prepares an answer.  
“I realized I needed to start again, have something more fulfilling in my life, I suppose,” he laughs bitterly, “God, I sound like such a wanker.”  
“And is it? More fulfilling?”  
The compassion she displays, her beauty, her genuine interest, even though he doesn’t deserve them, lifts a weight off his heart.  
“So far, so good,” he answers with a bright smile directed at her.


End file.
